Automobile heater



l Filed July 19; 1949 June 2, 1953 `.L M. AUFIERQ 2,640,407

AUTOMOBILE HEATER,

2 Sheets-Sheet l JNVENToR. .BY ft/HJM 17a/Yer@ om@ 'W1 HTTORNEYS June 2,1953 J. M. AuFlERo v .2,640,407

AUTOMOBILE HEATER v Filed July 19, -1949 2 sheetsheet 2 'LAVAVIIIIIIIIIIII, N

INVENTOIL [MQ wam Patented June 2, 1953 AUTOMOBILE HEATER John M.Auiero, Plandome, N. Y., assignor to E. A. Laboratories, Inc., Brooklyn,N. Y., a corporation of New York v Application July 19, 1949, Serial No.105,552

1 Claim.

1 e This invention relates to an improved heater and particularly to aheater for use in automobiles It is an object of this invention toprovide a heater which has adaptability to air cooling an kdefrosting aswell as heating.

It is another object of this invention to provide a structure which canbe adjusted to receive Icores of different sizes.

v It is a further object of this invention to proj vide a heater inwhich the motor moving the air is on one side of the dividing wallbetween the -engine and passenger compartments and the ducts deliveringthe heated air are on the other.` side of such dividing Wall.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a unit whichincludes relatively few parts 'each individually simple and rugged inconstruction andcapable of manufacture by quantity production; suchparts when assembled operatn ing over long periods of time with freedomfrom 'and in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of the heater of this invention shown partly insection;

Fig. 2 is a Vertical section of the heater taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the heater partly in horizontal section takenon line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged horizontal section ofa portion of the core andcasing of the heater showing a modification of the core supportingmeans.

In general this invention lcoi'nprises a heater providing simplicity inoperation, adaptability to air cooling, defrosting or heating, andreaseof manufacture.

Referring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that a heater I having a casing IIhas extending from the left side of the casing II as shown in Fig. 1 aduct I2. Fromthe upper surface of the casing Il two defroster ducts I3extend perpendicularly and side by side to receive twor defroster tubes(not shown). Also on the upper surface of the casing I I is arecirculation intake duct i4 having .a control valve I5 actuated by acrank IS. Control valves I'I for the control ducts I3 are shown indotted outline and are mounted on a shaft I8 which is turned by a crankI3. A valve 20 con- `trolling the flow of air into duct I2 is turned byacrank2|.

Referring to the vertical section of Fig. 2,'1the casing I I is shown tohave two parts,A ajfront half 22 and a rear half 23. Inside of thesetwoisections of the casing is a core 24 in which extend'two circulationpipes 25 `which may be connected to the cooling jacket of the automobileenginey for the supply of flowing heated water to the core 24. A wall 26is the wall between the body compartment and the engine compartment ofthe automobile. The wall 26 will hereinafter bereferred to as the firewall 26. The heating assembly IU is secured to the re wall 26 by bolts3,5 and nuts 3S. The position ofA the bolts 35v is merely suggestive. Aring 21 through an aperture in the re wall 26 connects the interior ofthe casing II' to the interior of a blower casing 28. The blower casing28 contains a blower fan 29 driven by a suitable motor 30. An air ductsystem 3| shown above the blower 29 has a fianged port 32 which extendsdown and encloses a rim 33 around an aperturevin the' upperv surface ofthe blower casingk28. The fresh air is drawn into the heating systemfrom the forward part of the automobile through a forwardly ei;- tendingportion'34 of the duct 3l. The'air is drawn into the blower through port32 and past rim 33 and is expelled by the blower 29 from the lowercasing 28 through the ring- 2'I into the heater casing II and againstthe core 24. lThe distribution of air to the body compartment iseffected through the vertical slots 49 in the duct I2 and the end louvreopenings 50. A small slot 5I may be provided in the bottom surface rof`the casing II to provide a bleeding on" of air to the Ybody compartmentwhen the flap 20 closes the through the slots 49 and louvre 50.'

The air passes through interstices in the core 24 and becomes warmed.The warmedr air urged by the pressure from the blower fan 29escapes fromthe casing II through the defrosterjducts duct I2 and prevents theescapeof heatedl air I3, the slot 5I and duct I2 whence it-isdistributed through the body compartment. y v

The recirculation intake I4 on the top of the casing Il has an intakeopening 31 and an exit port 38 discharging into a rearwardly extendingduct 39 of the duct 3l. The valve I5 controls the passage of air throughthe intake opening `3'I. Referring to the plan view of Fig. 3, the valvetached 't'o the crank I6 holds the valves I5 and 42 in a normallypredetermined position in which valve I5 is fully closed and valve 42 isfully opened.

The forward extending duct 34 carries fresh air to the heater from theforward part of the car in the vicinity of the radiator. A valve notshown is provided at some point in the pipes 25. This valve can eithershut on completely or decrease the how of water through the pipes 25vand consequently the core 2. This valve is remotely controlled as by aBowden wire. If iresh cool air alone is desired the heater Ic may beused to supply the body compartment with fresh cool air during the warinperiods of the year simply by setting in closed position a control ofthe circulation of heating liquid through the core and allow the core toremain cool. The blower lfan 29, duct system 3l and distribution duct I2and slot 5l then serve to cool the body compartment. and thus serve adual purpose. The. heater is thus simple and yet adaptable to heating,defrosting and air cooling.

The occasion may arise, howeven, when introducing air in through duct'.34 should be limited either because it is tco cold to be adequatelyheated by the corey to provide a desired degree. of warmth, or becauseof congested traffic or for other reasons. it is not desired to draw airfrom in front oi the automobile. Under these circumstances it is best.to close oil the forward extending duct 34 and draw the air for heatingpurposes out of the body compartment through the blower and core. Thismay be done by recirculating air from the body campartmentthreinh theblower 2S and the heater core 2c and provide a more rapid and moreeiiicient heating or the air in the body compartment. The arrangement ofthe ductv 32 with its forwardly extending portion 34. and rearwardlyextending portion Se. and the recirculation intake id is. such as, to beable to. vfeed air either. irorn the iront of, the car or the bodycompartment. through the blower and heater casingy il equally easily andefciently. .esJ shownin Figs. 2. and 3.. valve i5. controls the entry ofair through the intake 3i. oi the recirculation duct. Ui while valve. t2controls. the passage of air through the forward, extending duct 34.rIfhev valves 5.5 and al as. mentioned above are connected and mutuallycontrolled through a rod 40. and cooperating crank arms. l and il on thestraight shanks oi whichl the valves. l5 andd. are mounted. The valvesI- and lil are. so mounted on the. cra-nk arms i5 and di. that. whenv-mve I5 is fully opened valve 42. fully closed and vice versa.Similarly, when valve l5 is half. onen valve, d2 is also at the half-wayposition` The Bowden wire fill whose iexihle, coverh'ig 5.3 issu-itablyanchored has. a moving. wire 5,2. which being attached to` crank arm. 46operatesv theentire Qontrol valve assembly for therecircnlating intakeI@ and the iorwardly extending, duct, 34. as the central wire 52. isadvanced irozn. its. flexible covering 5.3. the crank arm te rotated.ciilnterolockwise moving the valve t5. in asimilasv direction openthe.-intake port 3l, simu-l- -tancouslythe. rod Ll is moved. in a forward.direc.-

-tion-l rotating; crank` arm` it also. in a counterclockwiseV direction.and. the valve it in. av counterclockwise direction. to: close theforward.. extending-g duct 3d. rihus a delicate-controloithepositions-oi valvesr t5: and cfmaybe-obtained through the Bowden wireEli. As the valve is; in the port` 3.7 is opened' a suction is createdvthrough the port 3i by the blower.' This suction is aided by theblocking of the entry of air through duct 3e. The cooperation of thevalves I5 and 42 through rod link Gt, therefore not only decreases theamount of air that is drawn through duct St as the port Si' is openedbut also increases the suction created through port 31 as this port isopened. The desired action in closing the valve itil and opening thevalve I5 is therefore increased by the cooperation of these parts.Conversely, on closing valve I5 and opening valve 42 the decrease of thesuction through the intake port El increases the suction pressureexerted through the duct 3c and assists the intake of fresh air from thefront of the car.

The core 24 isv held in position in the casing I I by studs 5d. Thesestuds 541 are made up of bases t5 which are integral with the casingwall and onto which removable projections i6 may be tted and secured.Asy shown in the section of Fig. 4, the projection :SS is fastened inthis modiiication to the base i5 by a threaded lug 4T on the projectionit screwing into a threaded recess d8 in the base 45. Cores havingvariations in the depth dimension may be tted into a uniform sizedcasing by substitution of projection portions t6 of various compensatinglengths on the bases d5 in the uniform sized casing II. Iihus in thecase o the heater IG shown, if it were desired to insert a core having anarrower dimension from A to B asv shown in Fig. 4, the casing l couldbe adapted to receive and securely hold such narrower core by insertingstud projections iiS of greater length which would take up the space andhold the studded core as securely as the core shown in the heures.

The valves I 'I cooperate synchronously` with the valve 2B through a rodlink d3 which connects cranks la and 2l. The positioning of the rod linkd3, the cranks. I9 and 2l andthe valves il and 2B may be accomplished,in any desired manner by crank, knob, or otherwise,l including controlby suitable power apparatus. As shown in Fig. 3, the valves il are fullyopened and the valve 25 is fully closed. In this. position all of theoutput oi the heater core 244 would be delivered to the derosters. Bymoving rod link 43 rearwardly the crank` 2l is. rotated clockwise asseen in Fig. 3. and the crank I9 is rotated upwardly as seen. in Fig. 3.This motion simultaneously closes the valves I'i and opens the valve 2G.At the full completion. of the motion of the rod. link i3 away from theposition show-n in Fig. 3, valve 2li is fully opened and valves. L'I arefully closed. In this. way the opening and closing or the valves il andthe valve 2.5; are synchronized. Thus, when desired, a delivery of theentire output of the heated air can be: made to the defrcster tubes.However, when such a concentration of heat isno-t necessary the supplyor' heat to: the defrostertubes; can. be. slowly diminished and theexcess heated air be: fed into duct I2'. In stating that the. fullsupply'I of` the output of the core Ecl isA directed into tlredefrostertube it is borne in mind-z that: there will be a1 certain. limited;escape off heated air to the body compartment through the. slot; 5I-when thevalve t2 is-completelyclosed.

The duct I2' is cast integrally with the casingv I-I.. The duct I:2therefore has a front half which is integral with front half- 22! of?the casing and` has a rear half which is integral with rear half 23 ofthe casing. The valve 2li is mounted on. a. shaft. 55 of the crank ZI.The shaft: 55 is held' in position in the ductl Il2-Y between the fronthalf 22 and the rear Vhalf 23- of the duct l2. Recesses 56 in the wallof the duct I2 at the point of securing the shaft 55 act as bearings forthe shaft 55. The two halves of the casing Il and the duct l2 aresuitably held together. Thus a simple construction is provided wherebythe assembly of the two halves of the casing and duct serves also toclamp and secure the vaive 20 in position.

Thus the many advantages of the heater of this invention are achieved. Aheater is provided in which the only parts of the heater within the bodycompartment are the heater core and distribution duct and defrostertubes. Yet it is possible to provide recirculation with the heater ofthis invention without a second opening for passage of air through thefire wall. This is of importance as automobiles are manufactured with asingle aperture through the i'lre wall. To cut another aperture throughthe nre wall would be troublesome. At the same time the recirculation ofthe air in the body compartment and the cutting ofi of the draft offresh cool air from outside of the body compartment is an importantfeature. This invention advantageously supplies a heater having themotor and blower of the heater outside the body compartment, a ductdrawing air from the front of the engine compartment, and arecirculation duct carrying air from the body compartment through theblower and back into the heating core through a single aperture in theseparating wall between the engine and body compartments.

Among other advantages of this invention is the adjustability providedfor the mounting of the heater core in the casing. A simplicity ofmanufacture is created as a result of this adjustability, as it will bepossible to mount various sized cores in a single standard sized coring.

Further advantages of this invention are found in the synchronousoperation of the control valves. The valves which control the supply ofair to the blower cooperate to maintain a delivery of a certain minimumvolume of air to the blower. Without this minimum the blower does notoperate efciently. However, if too much air is supplied to the blowerthe heater core cannot provide a satisfactory degree of warmth to theair. It is therefore imperative that without regard to where the air isdrawn f-rom, either uncirculated or recirculated, that the overallvolume `be maintained in a certain range, This is achieved bysynchronous cooperation in the movement of the control valves I5 and 42.Similarly, the synchronous operation of the valves I1 and 20 provides aneicient distribution of the heated air to the body compartment. This is,in a manner, the converse of the synchronous cooperation of the valvesl5 and 42. In the synchronous cooperation of the operation of the valvesI1 and 20, the heated air is distributed so that it is alwaysefficiently employed. 1f it is not desired to use the full delivery fromthe heated core, with the exception of that which bleeds through slot5|, either through the defroster tubes or the distribution duct, it ispossible to divide up the distribution of the heated air between thesetwo escapes.

'Ihe heater of this invention has the advantage of being simple andrigid in construction and fool-proof in operation. Thus among others theseveral objects of the invention as specifically aforementioned areaccomplished. Obviously numerous changes in construction and arrangementof the parts might be resorted to without departing from the spirit ofthe invention as defined by the claim.

I claim:

An automobile heater cooperable with the re wall of an automobilepassenger body including in combination a duct system combined with ablower casing in the motor compartment adjacent said fire wall; a rotaryblower fan in said casing; a central duct in said duct system adjacentand. axial to said blower fan; a heater core in the passengercompartment adjacent said fire wall and radial to said blower fan; aring extending through an opening in said fire wall connecting saidheater core to said casing of said blower fan; a second duct extendingthrough said opening in said fire wall from said passenger compartmentand connected to said central duct; an orice defining an entrance intosaid duct system on the opposite side of said central duct from saidsecond duct for providing fresh air to said automobile heater; valvemeans for controlling thel introduction of air to said duct system, saidcasing and said blower fan through said entrance orifice and additionalvalve means for controlling the introduction of air to said duct system,said casing and said blower fan through said second duct, means attachedto the respective valve means to actuate said valve means so that as theone valve closes the other opens and vice versa whereby air may be drawnfrom said passenger compartment through said second duct and throughsaid blower fan alone or together with air from said entrance orice fandthen through said ring to said passenger compartment and said heatercore in a direction opposite to its original path of flow through saidsecond duct.

JOHN M. AUFIERO.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,676,021 Gould July 3, 1928 1,925,805 Holle Sept. 5, 19331,999,349 Augstman Apr. 30, 1935 2,131,017 Lintern et a1 Sept. 20', 19382,131,635 Mullen Sept. 2'7,v 1938 2,164,057 Fink June 27, 1939

